Alpha Delphini still on the up
March 31st, 2018 | Ian Carnaby's Racing News
Sometimes you have to see the funny side. I noticed with interest that the ‘Medburn’ horses had moved from Paul Henderson to Peter Hedger. I thought Paul ran them a bit too often and they might well do best first time up at Bath on Good Friday. There they were, Medburn Dream and Medburn Cutler in successive races, with Franny Norton booked nice and early.
Well, it all went wrong. Bath only went ahead after an inspection and the prices were shorter than the exotic ones I was expecting. To crown it all, Franny won the first three races so, for me to be right, he’d have ended up with four or five – not impossible but unlikely. Then the course became unraceable anyway, so we shall never know. But Hedger had a horse run very well at Lingfield, so I’d keep an eye on Medburn Dream, in particular. There may be something at Kempton before the first Goodwood meeting.
I’m not overly confident about anything on the Saturday over Easter but ALPHA DELPHINI improved towards the end of last season and this is no bad time to follow horses trained by Bryan Smart. Caspian Prince sidestepped the big sprint at Lingfield – a very wise decision – but has to concede him 8lb in the Borderlescott Sprint Trophy at Musselburgh and that looks a difficult task.
Willie Mullins’ Bleu Et Rouge had no chance in the County Hurdle after being raised 8lb for his excellent second in the Betfair at Newbury. He will be very hard to place in handicaps but has a clear chance in the conditions sprint at Cork on Sunday.
